Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Berkeley Township Chief of Police Kevin Santucci announced that on October 15, 2024, Dhenmark Francisco, 28, of Toms River, and Jovi Esperanza, 31, of Beachwood, were each charged with Aggravated Assault in connection with an incident that occurred in Berkeley Township on October 14, 2024. On October 15, 2024, the Berkeley Township Police Department was contacted by authorities at the Crystal Lake Rehabilitation Facility regarding a patient that had been assaulted. An investigation by the Berkeley Township Police Department Detective Bureau determined that on October 14, 2024, at approximately 11:45 a.m., a 52-year-old male patient was assaulted by two Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) who were employed by the facility. The patient was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, and then transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in New Brunswick for treatment of his injuries. He is listed in critical but stable condition.
Further investigation identified Francisco and Esperanza as the CNAs responsible for assaulting the victim. On October 15, 2024, Francisco was taken into custody at the facility without incident. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing. On that same date, Esperanza surrendered himself to Berkeley Township Police Headquarters; he was likewise transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.
